Over here, what comes to mind as a local specialty is Spetzofai, which is spicy sausage fried with long green peppers in a sauce of fresh tomatoes. It can be served as an appetizer or 'meze' for Ouzo or Tsipouro.

Here in Southern Illinois, we're right on the edge of the deep South. We can leave here and be in Paducah, Ky in under an hour. That makes Southern Fried Chicken a big star.
People here love fried catfish, chicken and dumplin's (big homemade noodles cut in squares), pot roast, and pork chops with fried potatoes.

A lot of European immigrants who came here to work in the coal mines. That means a lot of German, Eastern European, and Italian influences. You can find some of the best spaghetti or ravioli in the USA, right here.

We also have the "midwestern farmer's diet", which consists of meat, potatoes, bread, corn on the cob, green beans, and tomatoes.

The hunters and fishermen here have a rich resources. There are lots of lakes and strip pits (left from old coal mines) that are full of blue gill, crappy, bass, and all kinds of catfish, some of which are enormous.
Deer are more than plentiful, and you can bag a wild turkey if you're good. People hunt squirrels and rabbits, ducks and geese. Sadly, our quail population has been terribly decimated.
We have wild mushrooms....morels, mainly, but also chicken of the woods, puffballs, and more if you know what you're looking for.
There are wild blackberries and elderberries, Hickory nuts and black walnuts that can be had for the picking.
We grow a lot of pigs and cattle here, and one is still able to buy a whole, half or quarter from a local farmer, and find a good German butcher to process it for you.
I guess I'd have to say that our most special dish would be ...Fried morel mushrooms. These are not double floured. Simply dip in a beaten egg mixture, then in flour, then fry in a skillet of hot canola oil. Don't over-cook.
They are very rich...you don't really need anything to go with them, except perhaps a small salad,

Here in Maine, lobster is very popular, as is most seafood. Another popular dish is the New England boiled dinner, which I've never made myself, but consists of boiled corned beef, potatoes, carrotts, cabbage, onions. Whoopie pies are a popular home-made snack cake consisting of chocolate (devils' food cake I think) with a cream filling.

Italian beef sandwiches seem to be a popular regional food here in the Chicago area. They're delicious. It's slow cooked beef in a broth with Italian spices, served with hot or mild peppers on a crusty French type of bread, sliced lengthwise. I like mine with sweet onion and hot peppers.

Here in southern California, two things come to mind:
the first is Tri-Tip, which is a particular cut of steak that is cooked on many street-corners in Santa Maria (where it originated) and in many restaurants/grill places throughout the southland.

The other is Mexican food, which is heavenly! Various dishes, such as beef or chicken flautas (slow cooked meat with chiles and seasoning, rolled in flour tortillas, then fried; served on beds of lettuce with a garnish of sour cream and guacamole).......tacos......arroz con pollo (chicken with rice - name sounds boring but oh, is it tasty!)........burritos made from home made tortillas filled with refried or pinto beans, mexican seasoned rice, carnitas (meat), topped with red sauce and cheese...... Pico di gallo, avocado and freshly made corn tortilla chips.......abondigas soup.....and most top all of it off with either margaritas or an icy cold Corona beer with a lime.

jkath - I expected to see avocado out there right in front! lol I see it hidden in with the Mexican food :-)

Around here it would be barbecue - as in the food group, not the thing you GRILL on To be more specific - pulled pork sandwiches with a white vinegar and dried chili pepper flake sauce or a more vinegar/tomato sauce versus more tomatoey sauce topped bbq slaw - the same vinegar/tomato bbq sauce you put on the sandwiches makes this slaw.

jkath's tri-tip has migrated north to Northern California. Grilling is very popular here and tri-tip is a favorite cut of meat to use. Served with the tri-tip is potato salad, chili or baked beans, coleslaw, and chocolate cake or apple pie. One of my coworkers marinates the tri-tip in Italian salad dressing and then seasons the meat with ground black pepper and garlic powder.

jkath's tri-tip has migrated north to Northern California. Grilling is very popular here and tri-tip is a favorite cut of meat to use. Served with the tri-tip is potato salad, chili or baked beans, coleslaw, and chocolate cake or apple pie. One of my coworkers marinates the tri-tip in Italian salad dressing and then seasons the meat with ground black pepper and garlic powder.

We do that as well SC, only difference, while grilling we wet it down with beer in a water spray bottle. I find here Mexican food is probably the biggest draw, followed by Italian and then Chinese, all the others are out there just usually quiet small places and you find them by chance or through a friend. I suppose our thing here would have to be the home of E&J Gallo wines...